Does Princess Leia Have the Force & Was She a Jedi?  

One of the things that we know about the Star Wars storyline is that Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan was born the twin sister of Luke Skywalker. That means that her innate powers with the Force were on par with Luke’s and that she was “the other hope” that both Obi-Wan and Yoda discussed in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. But did Princess Leia use the Force, and was she a Jedi?

Leia never used the Force in the original Star Wars trilogy but was seen using it in Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi to save herself from certain death. It was also revealed that she received Jedi training from Luke but refused to be a Jedi because she feared what it did to Darth Vader.

The story of Leia is very inspiring because she was the only one from the original Star Wars trio that kept fighting for the side of good from start to finish. So, even if she avoided using the Force or training in the ways of the Jedi, her innate courage was a spark of hope to those who had none. So, with that said, let’s look at whether or not Leia did indeed train in the ways of the Force.

Did Princess Leia Ever Use the Force?

In the original Star Wars trilogy, one of the biggest shockers was the revelation that Leia Organa was Luke Skywalker’s sister. We saw how this was possible when Luke and Leia were born the children of Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala but had to be separated at birth to protect them from the wrath of the Empire. As such, they grew up without knowing that they were actually siblings.

Of course, Luke and Leia eventually discovered they were related after tapping into their inner feelings. The fact that they could both use the Force and were able to use its power to tell that they were related was what allowed them to strengthen their bond as allies and siblings fighting in the same battle to defeat the Empire. We know that Luke went on to complete his training as a Jedi and defeated Darth Vader and the Empire using the Force. But Leia didn’t get to show her gifts in the Force in the original trilogy.

Some would say that Leia never used the Force during the events of the original trilogy. But that isn’t necessarily true because she could sense her connection with Luke through the power of the Force. It might be true that she didn’t use any of the other Force-related powers, such as Force pull or telekinesis, but she still used the Force subconsciously when she could sense that Luke was her brother. As such, she still used the Force in the original trilogy.

Meanwhile, Leia was more of a general than an actual fighter in the sequel trilogy instead of a Jedi. But it was revealed that she did train in the Force with Luke for a while. She used the basic training that she received from her brother to complete Rey’s training in the events between Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi and Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.

But Leia also used the Force more concretely in the events of The Last Jedi. Even though she was more of a general that led her forces from a strategic standpoint, she ended up in a situation that would have killed most people when the bridge of her ship got attacked. With the bridge destroyed, Leia was floating in space and would eventually freeze and suffocate to death. But she used her instincts in the Force to use Force pull herself back into the ship before freezing to death.

In that regard, Leia proved that she could use the Force and that her connection with the Force was still alive. It’s just that she didn’t use her Force powers or her Jedi training that often.

Why Didn’t Leia Become a Jedi?

As mentioned, unlike Luke, Leia wasn’t a Jedi. She did receive training as a Jedi when Luke was still building the foundations of his new Jedi Order. We saw that in a flashback scene wherein Luke honed Leia’s talents in the Force. However, we all know that she never continued her training as a Jedi because she focused more on being a politician and, later in life, as the leader of the Resistance.

Of course, Leia considered joining her brother to build the foundations of the new Jedi Order. However, she ultimately decided to follow her own path in life instead of becoming a Jedi like her brother and father. Instead, she was more like her mother because she was more of a politician and a leader of the people.

The first reason why Leia didn’t want to become a Jedi was that she didn’t have the same interests in the Force as Luke did. While she believed in it, she wasn’t interested in knowing more about the Force as she was more concerned with what was happening in the galaxy during the time when the New Republic was still just starting out. As such, the only reason she decided to go with Luke to receive basic training was that she wanted to be with her brother and not follow the will of the Force.

But the biggest reason Leia didn’t want to be a Jedi was Darth Vader. Leia was a witness to the atrocities committed by her father during the events of the Rebellion. She wasn’t even there when Vader redeemed himself and became Anakin Skywalker again. As such, she was quite afraid of Darth Vader’s memory even after the former Sith Lord had already redeemed himself.

There’s also the fact that Leia had a Force vision that allowed her to see her son, Ben, dying at the end of her journey as a Jedi. Because she was afraid of what was to come about her Jedi path, she decided to stay away from the life of a Jedi and focused more on her political career as one of the newest leaders of the New Republic.

Leia knew what the Force did to Vader and how the dark side corrupted Anakin. Knowing that she was a Skywalker and was yet to reject the dark side, Leia feared that the Force could corrupt her. She feared the Force because of what it did to her father. Luke had already passed his test when he rejected the dark side, but Leia wasn’t sure whether or not she could do the same if tempted by it.

As such, Leia decided to stay away from the life of a Jedi to avoid getting tempted by the dark side of the Force and to make sure that her visions about Ben would not come true. This was also likely why she told Luke never to tell Ben Solo (Kylo Ren) anything about Darth Vader. But, as we all know, Ben eventually found out the truth about his grandfather and decided to walk the dark side, as that was what Leia feared the most.